What Does The START Treaty Say ?

Hot Air reported yesterday on what the Russian media is saying about the START Treaty, recently passed by the Senate. 

The article cites one of the provisions from Page Two of the treaty:

“Recognizing the existence of the interrelationship between strategic offensive arms and strategic defensive arms, that this interrelationship will become more important as strategic nuclear arms are reduced, and that current strategic defensive arms do not undermine the viability and effectiveness of the strategic arms of the parties.”

This is the linking that Ronald Reagan consistently avoided in his negotiations with the Russians.  The American missile defense program is what essentially brought the Soviet Union to its knees–they simply could not keep up–they didn’t have the money or the technology.  Now President Obama has given away our advantage in that area at the same time North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela are aiming missiles at America.

Hot Air reports on the Russian press’ assessment of the treaty:

“ITAR-Tass, the main Russian government information agency, reported last week: “The treaty will have a legally binding provision on the link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons and will affirm the increasing importance of this link amid the reduction of strategic offensive weapons.””

Several Republican-authored amendments to the treaty that sought to alter the preamble were voted down, based in part on assertions that the preamble had no legal standing.

It seems to me that what we have here is a failure to communicate.  The article at Hot Air points out that the Russian Duma also has to ratify the treaty.  It will be interesting to see how the Duma will react to the American idea that the treaty does not limit missile defense.